


May the force be with you, always.

by Fnuggi



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Fusion, Character Study, Implied Torture, M/M, discontinued, mostly star trek, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2015-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:13:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2642843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fnuggi/pseuds/Fnuggi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a reason why Leonard McCoy joined Starfleet later than most people, it's just not what most people think it is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this story came to me after I started watching Star Wars Rebels about a month ago. If you've read the Star Wars novel 'A New Dawn', you'll most likely notice a lot of similarities between Kanan's story and Bones' - this is intentional as I did get a lot of my inspiration from it.
> 
> This story is unbetaed - any and all mistakes are my own

They were running, which wasn’t anything unusual. During the initial survey of the planet they had beamed down to, Spock had noted a higher degree of tectonic activity than what was the norm for an M class planet. However, the Vulcan science officer had also told them that it was nothing to be worried about.  
  
Leonard McCoy was going to have a word with the green blooded hobgoblin when he got back to the ship.  
  
He would have been perfectly content to stay aboard the Enterprise, but Jim had come down to sickbay just before the away team had beamed to the surface and insisted that he come along. He had said something about how Leonard had needed some fresh air after staying cooped up in sickbay for so long and all Leonard’s protests had fallen on deaf ears.  
  
To his horror, Leonard saw that a crack had opened in the ground in front of him. The rest of the away team, which consisted of Jim, Sulu, and some science officers had made it across safely, but by now it was too wide to jump across. He could see Jim shouting something at him, but he couldn’t hear what it was over the sound of the ground shaking violently beneath his feet.  
  
He knew there was only one way he’d be getting out of this alive.  
  
Taking a few steps backwards, he then started running towards the edge of the cliff, ignoring the look of panic on Jim’s face. Just before he reached the edge of the cliff, he closed his eyes, letting some long forgotten instinct take over. For a few, brief moments, Leonard felt completely free as he moved through the air. However, the feeling came to an abrupt end as his feet hit the ground and he had to curl in on himself to absorb the impact.  
  
Before he could regain his senses, someone had pulled him from the ground and was dragging him towards the beam out site.  
  
The last thing Leonard McCoy remembered seeing before passing out was the blue light that engulfed the members of the away team as they were all beamed back to the Enterprise.  
  


* * *

  
Leonard blinked slowly a few times as he began regaining consciousness. The first thing he noticed was, that he was lying in a bed. The next thing he noticed where the familiar sounds of his sickbay. Using the force after suppressing it for so long must have taken a greater toll on him than he thought it would.  
  
Suddenly, he remembered that Jim and the rest of the away team had seen what had happened. The very idea made Leonard feel sick to his stomach. It meant that he would have to leave the Enterprise.  
  
The only reason why he had survived as long as he had, was because he never stayed in one place for too long at a time, moving whenever his force powers had resurfaced.  
  
Distracted as he was by his own thoughts, he had failed to notice the feeling of a warm hand wrapped around his own.  
  
It was Jim’s.  
  
The two of them had been dating for some time now. Leonard had been hesitant about it at first, not because of his made up ex-wife, which was what Jim believed, but because it had been drilled into him for as long as he could remember, that love ultimately led to the dark side.  
  
But Jim had been persistent and Leonard had to admit, that the time he had been with Jim, had been the happiest in his life. The idea that he would have to leave Jim behind made his heart clench painfully, but it had to be done. It was safer for everyone that way.  
  
“Bones?” Jim’s voice was thick with sleep as he spoke.  
  
“I’m right here, darlin’” Bones replied, tightening his grip on the younger man’s hand ever so slightly to reassure him.  
  
“I thought you were going to leave me” Jim whispered in a broken voice. Leonard could only smile sadly in return. The idea that he would be just another person to leave Jim hurt more than he ever thought anything could, but he knew that he had to do it.  
  
If he stayed, the Empire would find him sooner rather than later, now that he had exposed his force powers, and Leonard knew they would not hesitate to use his relationship with Jim against him. His decision to leave was not just to protect himself, it was also to protect Jim.  
  
“What happened back there?” Jim asked, giving Leonard an odd look.  
  
“It was nothin’” Leonard replied, averting his eyes.  
  
“You’re lying, Bones” Jim shot back. “You know I can tell when you’re lying”  
  
Leonard sighed. “Alright. Meet me in my quarters after I’ve been released, okay? I promise I’ll tell you everything” He figured that if he was going to walk out on Jim, the least he could do was to be honest about why he was doing it.


	2. Chapter 2

Leonard was sitting on his bed with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He knew he would need to have something in him if he was going to tell Jim about his past. Beside him lay a silver, cylinder shaped object, the only reminder of his past.  
  
He had made his lightsaber shortly before his thirteenth birthday. An older member of the order had taken him and four other initiates to the crystal caves on Ilum where they had gone through the gathering.  
  
The moment when he had finished his lightsaber and had ignited it for the first time was one that he would never forget. It was as if, now that he had his lightsaber, he was finally a real jedi.  
  
Just as Leonard stood to get himself another glass of whiskey, he heard the sound of footsteps. Leonard smiled at the sight that met him. It was Jim and in his right hand, he had an unopened bottle of bourbon. Without a word, he set the bottle down on the bedside table and sat down on Leonard’s bed.  
  
“You owe me an explanation” He said, looking up at his boyfriend. Leonard sighed.  
  
“I know, but could you pour me another glass of whiskey first? I’m gonna need it” He asked.  
  
“Of course” Jim stood to retrieve the bottle. When his glass was full again, Leonard downed all of it in one go, wincing at the burning sensation in his throat.  
  


* * *

  
_'This can't be happening!' The thought raced through the young boy's mind as he ran through a long corridor. The setting sun shone through the tall windows and on any other day, the boy would have enjoyed the warmth it provided._   
  
_But not today._   
  
_No, today, the boy was running for his life. His dark hair was damp with sweat and his lungs were burning but he couldn’t stop. If he did, he would get killed._   
  
_The hum of the lightsaber in his hand was of little comfort to the boy, who knew that it would be useless against the blasters that the clone troopers were using. The boy, though skilled with a lightsaber as all jedi were, had known from a very early age that the battlefield was not for him. Instead, as he grew older, he had found his purpose as a healer._   
  
_At the age of sixteen, the boy had been an apprentice healer for almost four and a half years and a padawan for the same amount of time. His master, Kandori Zelona, was one of the most skilled healers in the order. She had taught him everything he knew about healing and they had formed a close bond as padawan and master._   
  
_The young boy stopped running abruptly when he came face to face with a stormtrooper clad in white armor. The sight send a chill down the young boy’s spine as he raised his lightsaber to defend himself. If he was going to die, he was going to die fighting,_   
  
_But much to his surprise, the clone trooper removed his helmet and signaled for him to follow. The boy lowered his lightsaber slightly, not sure what to make of the situation. Opening his mind to the force, the boy did his best to ignore the waves of pain crashing through him as he tried to sense the intentions of the clone in front of him. Sensing no ill intention, the boy decided that his best chance of getting out of the temple alive was to follow the clone._   
  
_As they moved through the temple, the boy saw jedi after jedi fall at the hands of the clones. How could something like this happen? Had the jedi order really become so complacent that they had been blind to the dangers hiding in plain sight?_   
  
_The young boy felt tears running down his face. The temple and the jedi order had been his home for as long as he could remember. The jedi were good people, who wanted only to serve the republic, so why had the emperor ordered the temple destroyed and the jedi killed?_   
  
_Up ahead, he spotted the familiar form of his master. The Nautolan jedi had both her lightsabers out, ready to defend herself from any attackers that might come her way. When she spotted the young boy, she looked visibly relieved. Putting away her lightsabers, she approached the boy and the clone trooper._   
  
_“Are you alright?” She asked, kneeling in front of the boy._   
  
_“Yeah, I’m fine” The boy replied and then added: “What’s happening?”_   
  
_“I’m not sure” The young boy sensed that there was something his master wasn’t telling him, but he knew now was not the time to push for answers._   
  
_“Listen to me” The older jedi said, the tone of her voice urgent. “You have to get out of here, you have to survive, do you hear me?” The boy nodded, too scared to say anything._   
  
_“No matter what happens, you have to stay alive” The older jedi said, pulling the boy into a hug._   
  
_“But what’s going to happen to you?” The boy pulled back slightly, his voice shaking._   
  
_“I don’t know” Her voice was laced with sadness as she spoke. “But trust in the force and one day, we will find each other again, I promise. Now go! And may the force be with you, always”_   
  
_“You too, master” With one last look at the older jedi, the young boy turned and followed the stormtrooper._   
  
_Eventually, they made it to one of the lesser known exits of the temple, that led to a small, dark street. The boy knew that the first thing he’d have to do, was find some different clothes. The tunic he was wearing clearly marked him as a jedi, so he’d need to get rid of it._   
  
_Looking back over his shoulder, the boy gasped at the sight that met him. Behind him, the temple was ablaze, black smoke rising into the darkening sky above. The boy knew he had to stay focused on the path ahead, so he turned his attention back to where he was going and kept running._   
  


* * *

  
“Most of the Jedi were killed and those who managed to escape were branded as traitors to the Empire” Leonard finished his story and downed the last of the whiskey in his glass. For some reason, they had ended up seated on the floor, leaning against Leonard’s bed, and while Leonard couldn’t recall how they had ended up there, he knew his back was going to be sore in the morning.  
  
While he had talked, Jim had remained mostly quiet, only offering comfort when it had been too hard for Leonard to continue talking.  
  
“Oh Bones, I’m sorry” Jim said softly pulling his boyfriend into a hug. “I’m so sorry”  
  
“She was the closest thing I had to a mother and I don’t know if she’s alive or not” Leonard’s voice was shaking as he spoke and tears had started falling again.  
  
For once in his life, Jim didn’t know what to say, so he just held his boyfriend and let him cry until he had no tears left.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

If there was one thing that Leonard McCoy was known for aboard the Enterprise, it was his seemingly uncanny ability to always know where a member of the crew was at any given time. What most people in this part of the galaxy didn’t know, was that every living thing was connected through the Force, and that a select few people could use the Force.  
  
But even if they weren’t aware, all the people aboard the Enterprise had their own unique presence in the Force. Most of these were like ripples on the surface of a pond, but Jim was different. Leonard had noticed it as soon as he had sat down next to the kid on the shuttle that day.  
  
Jim’s presence in the Force was unlike anything Leonard had ever felt, and though Jim had not been aware of it at the time, it was what had drawn Leonard to him. Although he was not Force sensitive, Jim radiated in the Force, like a sun, which Leonard thought was fitting. However, after being together for as long as they had, Leonard did not need his force awareness to know where Jim was.  
  
As he made his way through the brightly lit corridors of the Enterprise, a fierce scowl on his face, people quickly moved out of the way. They knew better than to get in his way when he was in as bad a mood as he was now, unless they wanted a particularly painful hypo to the neck during their next physical.  
  
Although most people had no idea why, Leonard spend almost as much time on the bridge as he did down in sickbay. It was because he knew from experience, that with Jim as their captain, it was only a matter of time before they would run into trouble. And when they did, he wanted to be prepared.  
  
However, this was not the reason for his visit to the bridge today.  
  
In all of his years as a doctor, he had never met anyone who was as skilled as Jim Kirk in dodging their physicals. This wasn’t the first time he’d have to go to the bridge and drag the young captain back to sickbay, and even then, the younger man had a hard time sitting still.  
  
When Jim noticed Leonard exiting the turbolift, he offered the older man a nonchalant smile. However, it did nothing to to lessen the scowl on Leonard’s face.  
  
“Hey Bones” Jim’s tone of voice matched his smile.  
  
“You missed your physical, you damn infant” Leonard said, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
“D- Did I?” Jim had suddenly gone several shades paler. He knew what his boyfriend was like when he didn’t show up for his physicals, and if he had to guess, he’d say that Leonard probably had an extra large hypo with his name on it.  
  
The thought alone was enough to make Jim wince.  
  
“Yes, you did” Leonard retorted drily, unfolding his arms again.  
  
Before Jim could respond, Uhura cut in.  
  
“Captain, we’ve intercepted a transmission from a nearby ship. I think you’ll be interested in hearing this  
  
“Let’s hear it” Jim replied, turning to Uhura. Secretly, he was glad that a distraction had come along, although he would never say as much.  
  
 _“Is the mission completed?”_ The voice sounded strange, almost as if the owner was having trouble breathing.  
  
 _“Yes master. I have the jedi in custody as you wanted”_ The other voice sounded more normal than the first, but even so, there was something in it that send a shiver down Jim’s spine.  
  
 _“Good. Your orders are to bring her to me so I can interrogate her myself”  
  
_ _“As you wish master”_  
  
After that, the transmission went dead. From what Leonard had told him, Jim knew that there were very few jedi left, so if they could save just one, it would be worth the trouble.  
  
“Is there any way we can trace that transmission back to its origin?” He asked, looking at the other bridge officers in turn.  
  
“Yes sir, but I will need some time to do it” Chekov replied, turning to face his captain.  
  
“Alright, get to work” Jim said and then added: “In the meantime, I’ll be in my ready room. You have the conn Mister Spock”  
  
When they were alone in his ready room, Jim turned to face the older man. While other people might not have noticed it, Jim saw the tension in the other man immediately.  
  
“Do you really think we can save her, Jim?” Leonard asked.  
  
“Of course. When have my plans ever failed?” Jim asked with a smirk. Leonard groaned.  
  
“Thanks for trying, kid” Leonard said with a sigh. There had always been rumors of surviving jedi, but none of them had ever come with a specific location. Even fi they had, Leonard had been so focused on staying alive, he had paid them no mind.  
  
“You’re welcome. I know how much this means to you” Jim replied, pulling his boyfriend into a hug. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. Eventually, Leonard let go of Jim.  
  
“We better get back to the bridge and see what Chekov got” He said. He would have loved to stay here, along with Jim forever, but he knew that if there really was a jedi who had been captured by the Empire, their time would be limited. Very limited.“  
  
”Yeah, you’re right” Jim sighed and started towards the door with Leonard following him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a somewhat short chapter. I tried to make it longer, but it felt as if I was just repeating the same things over and over again, so I decided to make it shorter than I wanted it to be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a reference image for what the Nutolan specie looks like: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/File:Female_Nautolan_avatar_TSS.JPG
> 
> as always, I own nothing except the plot and the grammar mistakes I might have made while writing

The tension on the bridge of the Enterprise was thick as they prepared to drop out of warp. No one really knew what to expect and the sight that met them was an eerie one. The other ship was three times bigger than the Enterprise and it had none of the smaller ships soft curves and lines.

It was clear that the other ship was built for war.

“Alright, Sulu, Spock and Johnson, you’re with me. Doctor McCoy will meet us in the transporter room” Jim got out of the captains chair and started towards the turbolift. The other three followed him.  
  
The plan was simple. While the Enterprise was to serve as a decoy, the away team would beam over to the other ship and rescue the jedi. They would have to be quick about it, though. If it did come to a fight, the Enterprise wouldn’t stand a chance and Jim sure as hell wasn’t planning on losing his ship or his crew.

Leonard was already in the transporter room when the rest of the away team got there. Jim noticed that he had the cylinder shaped object, the lightsaber as he had told him it was called, clipped onto his belt. If anyone else noticed it, they made no comments and merely stepped onto the transporter pads.

Without a word Jim and Leonard followed them.

When they reappeared, Jim looked around. Like the rest of the ship, the hallway he and the rest of the away team now found themselves in was completely different from anything they had on the Enterprise. Somehow, it didn’t surprise Jim.

Suddenly, he felt unsure. He had no idea how they were going to find the jedi on a ship this big, but he knew he could not let it show. He was the leader of the team, if he became discouraged, the others would as well.

“So, Bones, any ideas as to how we’re going to find this jedi?” Jim asked, turning to face the doctor.

“Yeah, just give me a minute” Leonard replied, closing his eyes. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes again.

“She’s five levels below us” He said.

“Are you sure?” Jim asked. He was still getting used to the idea that his boyfriend had a secret past he, up until recently, had known nothing about and the fact that he also had these extraordinary powers was a lot for Jim to wrap his mind around.

“Yeah, I could sense her. She’s badly hurt, so we need to hurry” Leonard replied and without as much as a glance as the rest of the team, he started turned and started down the hallway. The rest of the away team exchanged glances and then followed the doctor, phasers in hands.

 

* * *

 

Leonard could feel the faint vibrations from his lightsaber as he ran down the hallway. It had been a long time since he had last used his lightsaber, but apparently, using a lightsaber was not something you forgot to do.

They had run into a lot of stormtroopers, as he had expected they would, but they had been taken care of without too much trouble.

Peeking around the corner, Leonard saw that there were two stormtroopers standing guard outside the cell where the jedi were being kept. Although he had not told the others, something felt off. However, he could not put his finger on what exactly it was, so he simply shrugged it off.

Leonard turned to the other members of the away team. “Wait here” He whispered.

“Bones, what are you doing?” Jim hissed. “There’s armed guards over there”

“I know. Just stay put and wait for my signal” Bones replied. Before anyone could say anything he walked over to where the guards were standing. As soon as they spotted him, they pointed their blasters at him.

“Hey! You’re not supposed to be here!” One of them said.

“Stop, or we’ll shoot you jedi!” The other one said. At this, Leonard stopped. He was right in front of the two stormtroopers and without hesitating moved his hand in front of their faces.

“The captain wants to see you on the bridge” He said, using the force to influence the two men.

“The captain wants to see us on the bridge" one of the troopers repeated.

"You better hurry up" Leonard said.

“We better hurry up” The other trooper repeated, and with that they turned and ran down the hallways.

“Alright, you can come out now” Leonard told the rest of the away team.

“Wh- How did you get rid of them?” Jim said, amazed.

“The force can have a strong influence on the weak minded” Leonard replied cryptically and then turned to the door. Without a word, he placed his hand on the panel next to it. Closing his eyes, he used the force to find the locking mechanism and open it.

Nothing could have prepared Leonard for the sight that met him when he stepped into the cell.

“Master?” He asked, his voice shaking slightly. Leonard had abandoned all hope of ever seeing his old master again after what happened long ago, and to find her here was almost too much for him to take in.

Jim was just as unprepared for the sight, even though he did not know Leonard’s old master personally. Leonard had tried to describe to him what his master looked like, but despite this and his previous experience in dealing with aliens, he had a hard time picturing what she’d look like.

“Leo?” Kandori asked, equally stunned.

“H- How… How did you survive?” Leonard asked, struggling to stay calm.

“There’s not time for that now. We need to get out of here” She replied. When Kandori tried to get up from where she had been sitting, meditating, she stumbled, falling to her knees. She had lost track of how long she had been aboard the ship and the number of times they had tortured her to try to get information out of her.

When he saw her stumble, Leonard rushed forward to support her.

“When I find whoever did this to you master, I swear-” Leonard said, but Kandori cut him off.

“Remember, my padawan, revenge is not the jedi way” There was an edge to her voice and Leonard could feel the heat rising to his face. For a brief moment, he felt almost as if he was a youngling back at the temple again, but the feeling disappeared soon enough.

“Right” He replied and then walked back into the hallway with Jim following close behind him.

“We need to get her back to the Enterprise as quickly as we can” Leonard said. “I’m not sure how much longer she’ll last without proper medical care”

“Oh, I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere, my boy” A familiar, cold voice spoke. Turning towards the end of the hallway to face the owner of the voice, Leonard froze at the sight that met him.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference picture for the Inquisitor: http://advancedgraphics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/1775_TheInquisitor_34.jpg
> 
> For those of you who don't know him, the Inquisitor is an imperial agent who has been given the mission to find any jedi who survived order 66 and either eliminate them, or turn them to the Dark side so they can serve the Empire.
> 
> I also feel that, given the fact that not all of my readers might no this, I should clarify that, when a jedi heals another being, it's not in the sense that they can just wave their hand over a wound and make it disappear. Instead, they use the force to speed up the body's natural healing processes.
> 
> also, fun fact (or maybe not so much): the Inquisitor's specie, the Pau'ans, are carnivores, so how many jedi do you think he has literally taken a bite out of?

The man, if you could call him that, was every bit as intimidating as Jim had thought he would be when he had first heard his voice on the bridge of the Enterprise. His gleaming, yellow eyes reminded Jim of a predator, and the thought did nothing to comfort him.

“My, my, a master and an apprentice. Such a rare find these days” The Inquisitor said, smirking.

“You’re not getting any of us” Leonard growled, reaching for his saber.

“And who’s going to stop me? I don’t know if it has escaped your notice, padawan, but your master is unable to fight me”

Leonard knew he was right. Kendari’s wounds were too severe for her to fight this monster, and he knew he was not skilled enough to defeat him himself.

“Jim” Leonard whispered without ever taking his eyes off the Inquisitor. “I need you to take master Zelona and get out of here”

“What?!” Jim exclaimed. “I’m not leaving you alone here with that monster!”

“You have to! I’m the only one who can stand up to him. If you don’t get out of here now, none of us will make it out alive” Leonard retorted.

Jim regarded Leonard closely. “Alright, but you better get out of here safely too, you hear me?”

Leonard nodded.

As the rest of the away team walked down the corridor, Jim looked over his shoulder just in time to see Leonard unclip his lightsaber from his belt and turn it on. Turning his attention back to where he was going, he send out a silent prayer that Leonard would be safe.  
  


* * *

  
Although it had been years since he had last fought like this, Leonard found that he remembered most of what he had learned. The Force guided him, letting him see the Inquisitor move almost before it happened.

Neither Leonard nor the Inquisitor were gaining any ground. Just when it seemed that one had an advantage over the other, something would happen to change it. Leonard could feel himself grow fatigued, but he could not give up now.

If he did, he was dead.

“It would seem I have underestimated your skill” The Inquisitor said, bringing his saber up to catch a high blow from Leonard’s lightsaber.

“I’ll take that as a compliment” Leonard said, taking a step back to catch his breath. However, the Inquisitor was quick to attack him again. Not knowing what else to do, Leonard reached out with the Force, pushing the Inquisitor away from him.

Before the Inquisitor had hit the floor, Leonard turned and sprinted down the hallways, in the same direction the rest of the away team had taken. He had no idea how long he and the Inquisitor had been fighting, but he hoped it had been enough for the others to get out.  
  


* * *

  
Jim was gasping for air as the away team made their way down another bleak looking corridor. The fact that he was more or less carrying Leonard’s master, who was unconscious, didn’t help, even though Sulu was on her other side helping Jim carry her.

He still couldn’t believe he had let Leonard talk him into leaving him behind with that monster. God knows what he was doing to Leonard. Jim wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Finally, they came to the end of the hallway, which led into what Jim assumed was a cargo bay of some sort. With no stormtroopers in sight, it seemed safe enough to stop for a moment. They all needed to catch their breaths and Jim needed to contact the Enterprise to get them beamed out.

“Scotty, you there?” Jim asked, communicator in hand. He could feel his heart leap into his throat as he heard the all too familiar sound of the alarms on the Enterprise blaring in the background. “What’s going on?”

_“I’m afraid we have a wee bit of a situation over here captain. The enemy ship have spotted us and they’re firing on us. We don’t stand a chance”_

“Can you get us out of here?”

_“They’re jamming our transporters captain. It’ll take a while, but with some modifications, I should be able to beam you out of there”_

“Alright, and make sure to have a medical team standing by. We have wounded. Kirk out” Jim closed the communicator and put it back in his belt. Although it seemed peaceful for the time being, Jim couldn’t help being on edge. Usually, he enjoyed the thrill of going on away missions, but being trapped on an enemy ship with a monster running lose was not something he enjoyed.

“Captain, look! Up there!” Sulu exclaimed.  
  


* * *

  
Leonard was exhausted. It seemed that no matter what he tried, the Inquisitor was one step ahead of him.

They were now on a balcony in what  seemed to be a cargo bay. It was a tight space and Leonard had a hard time fighting off the Inquisitor. Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted by some invisible force and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor of the cargo bay.

He could see the rest of the away team standing nearby, watching him. Leonard knew he could not allow himself to falter. Not now that they were so close to getting out of here safely. Gathering the last of his strength, he used the Force to call his lightsaber to him.  
  


* * *

  
Jim was staring in awe at the scene that was unfolding before him. The buzz of the lightsabers were almost hypnotic and had it not been for Scotty’s voice over the communicator, he might have just stayed there, watching the two men.

_“Captain, we’re ready to beam you out”_

“Wait!” Jim shouted. “We need to get Bones!”

“Captain” Spock interrupted him. “You can not put the life of one individual ahead of the lives of every member of your crew”

Jim knew the Vulcan was right, but that did not mean he had to like it. With tears in his eyes, he opened his communicator again.

“Five to beam out Scotty”

As he was enveloped in the familiar, bright light of the transporter, he finally let the tears fall.

_I’m sorry Bones. I’m so sorry_

****  
  



	6. Chapter 6

The first thing Leonard noticed when he regained consciousness was, that he was more sore than he could remember ever being. The next thing he noticed was, that he was lying on a hard surface. As he looked around the small, dark cell where he was being kept, memories of what had happened to him began to come back.

He remembered facing the Inquisitor, knowing that he would most likely be killed, and he also remembered the sense of relief he had felt when he had seen the familiar white light from the transporter appear around the rest of the away team.

The next thing he remembered, was waking up in this cell.

Sitting up, Leonard groaned. He was sure he hadn’t been this sore since his days as a padawan at the temple. Sure, there had been those times where Jim had forced him to go to whatever club he was going to and sure, he had gotten drunk - extremely so - on more than one occasion, but none of that compared to what he was feeling now.

It wasn’t just that he was exhausted physically. Using the force would drain the users energy, especially if it was against an opponent as powerful as the Inquisitor. Leonard had not for a minute believed that he could actually beat the Inquisitor. All he could do now, was pray for a swift, painless death.

The thought was, of course, absurd. The Imperials were going to draw out his death for as long as they possible could, if for no other reason than their own pleasure.

As if on cue, the door to his cell slid open to reveal the Inquisitor. Leonard eyes him warily as he walked into the cell.

“I can see you’ve regained consciousness” The Inquisitor began, folding his hands behind his back as he stopped in front of Leonard. Leonard looked up at him, without saying a word.

“Not very talkative I see. No matter. I’m sure you must be wondering why you’re still alive”

It was something that Leonard had been thinking about. What could the Inquisitor possibly gain from keeping him alive? He didn’t have any information that could be useful to the Empire, and on top of that, they would have to spend extra resources on keeping him alive.

“As you are no doubt aware, the jedi are dead. But there is another way: the dark side” The Inquisitor said, never taking his eyes off Leonard. At the mention of the dark side, Leonard looked away, unable to keep looking at the Inquisitor.

After the order had been destroyed, he had come dangerously close to giving in to the dark side. It was not an experience he wished to repeat.

“I’ll never join you!” He growled.

“That does not matter. Even if you do not join the dark side, you can still be of use to me. I highly doubt your master will leave you behind and there’s also the human” The Inquisitor replied with a smirk. Leonard felt his blood run cold.

“Leave him out of this! He has nothing to do with any of it!” Leonard shouted. As soon as the words were out, he felt an invisible force close around his neck, lifting him off the cot he’d been sitting on.

The last thing Leonard saw before everything went black, was the Inquisitor’s smirk.

* * *

The corridor that she was being marched down, was unlike anything Kandri had ever seen before. She could sense the anxiousness of the four security officers surrounding her clearly through the force, but for now, she let the four of them be.

Even if she had wanted to escape, it would do her no good. She may be able to overpower the people surrounding her, even without her lightsabers, but it would do her no good. She didn’t know the first thing about the layout of the ship she was on, and she wouldn’t know how to get off the ship either.

Kandori was distracted from her thoughts of escape when, through the force, she sensed something stronger than the anxiety of the people surrounding her. They had come to a stop in front of a plain looking door. She sensed that, whoever the person on the other side of the door was, they were worried about something.

The first thing Kandori noticed when she was ushered into the room, was that it seemed to be some type of living area. As she looked around, she saw a door on one side of the room that lead to what looked like a bedroom. Finally, her eyes landed on the only other person in the room besides herself and the security officers.

Although his features did nothing to reveal his feelings, Kandori could still sense them clearly in the force. The feeling of desperation that she sensed, made her want to help him in some way, although she wasn’t yet sure how she should go about it.

“We’ve brought the jedi as you asked, captain” one of the security officers said, taking a step forward as he spoke.

“Thank you lieutenant, you may go” Jim dismissed the four security officers.

“Sir, with respect… I’d like permission to station two of my officer in the room with you, in case something happens. After all, we don’t know what she’s capable of” The security officer spoke again.

“I can assure you lieutenant, I mean your captain no harm. And frankly, I find it rather rude to be discussed as if I’m not here” Kandori cut in, turning towards the officer.

“I appreciate your concern lieutenant, but I believe it’s unfounded” Jim said, folding his hands behind his back.

“Very well, sir” With that, the four security officers left the room, leaving Kandori

Alone with the man she now knew to be the captain of the ship she was on. As soon as the four officers were out of sight, Jim’s carefully constructed facade fell away. To Kandori, it seemed as if the man in front of her had aged several years in a matter of seconds, but she held her tongue.

After a few moments, Jim finally spoke.

“Welcome aboard the Enterprise, master Zelona. I’m captain Kirk”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to be honest, I am really not at all sure how I feel about this chapter, but at the same time, I felt it was a necessary one to add to the story, even if it did kind of feel like a filler chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for another really long wait - I really don't have any excuse for why this took me so long to get out, so I really hope you enjoy it!

_Leonard felt an unease settle in the pit of his stomach as he moved through the hallway. He had no idea where he was, but the fussiness on the edge of his vision told him it wasn’t real. And yet, it felt real. Too real._  
  
_Leonard hadn’t noticed it before, but the fog that swirled thickly around his feet should not be there. Not inside… where ever this was. Suddenly, he heard the sound of laughter. It was ricocheting off the walls, making it impossible to determine where it came from, but somehow, it sounded familiar._  
  
_The sound send chills down Leonard's spine._

_Suddenly, Leonard found himself standing in front of a large door. He could have sworn it wasn’t there before, but something told him he shouldn’t ignore it. He reached for his lightsaber, only to find that it was not hanging from his belt like he had expected it to._

_Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, Leonard turned his attention back to the door. Nothing could possibly have prepared Leonard for the sight that met him when he opened it._

_Lying on the floor was Jim, a burned hole in his back. Standing over his body was his master, a sadistic smile on her face. The stench of burned flesh hung heavy in the air, and Leonard could sense through the force that Jim was dying._

_“Why… Why didn’t you save me?” It was Jim speaking, his voice weak. He tried to reach for Leonard, but he was dead before he could reach him._

_He knew he should move, do something - anything - but he couldn’t. Leonard stood frozen on the spot as his master moved towards him, her twin sabers glowing. Leonard knew he was completely defenseless Kandori backed him into a corner._

 

* * *

 

Leonard groaned as another wave of electricity moved through his body. He had no idea how long the Empire had been keeping him on the star destroyer. The cell they were keeping him in had no windows and although he had no memories of it, they had even taken the time to shave him.

They clearly wanted to keep him off balance and make sure that he had no way of figuring out how much time had passed. He had spend the majority of the time he’d been aboard the star destroyer fading in and out of consciousness between the torture sessions that the Inquisitor seemed to enjoy so much.

“Are you ready to join the dark side?” The Inquisitor asked, leaning in closer to Leonard. If he could have moved, Leonard would have leaned away, but he couldn’t.

“Where… Where are you taking me?” Leonard asked instead, unwilling to give in to the darkness pushing and pulling on his mind.

“Oh, you can’t sense it?” The Inquisitor retorted.

Now that Leonard thought about it, he had been feeling a darkness on the edges of his mind. However, he hadn’t given it a second thought because the torture had taken so much out of him.

When it dawned on Leonard where they were taking him, could feel his stomach drop to his feet.

 

* * *

 

The bridge crew and Kandori were all sitting in the captain’s quarters, trying to come up with ways to rescue Leonard when Kandori felt another pang of pain. She hadn’t told anyone, but she had been feeling them ever since the Empire had taken Leonard.

Without meaning to, she had stopped paying attention to the debate going on around her when she felt the Force pull on her. Although the vision was fragmented, she did get images of a planet along with an overwhelming sense of darkness.

“Are you alright Master Zelona?” Jim asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Yes, I’m fine” She replied, shaking her head slightly. “I know where they are taking Leonard”

“How?” Jim was confused. They had been trying to figure it out for weeks and had come up with nothing, so how could she possibly know?

“I don’t have time to explain it. You just have to trust me on this” She sighed.

“Alright. So where exactly are we going?” Jim asked. Although he still didn’t understand how exactly the force worked, despite Bones’ attempt at explaining it to him, he was willing to take whatever he could get as long as it got him closer to getting Bones back.

“A planet called Mustafar. I can give you the coordinates” Kandori replied.

“But that still doesn’t solve our first problem, captain” It was Sulu who spoke up. Jim looked at him. He was right. Even if they did have the coordinates to the planet, it still did nothing to change the fact that the Enterprise would be unable to survive another fight so soon.

“Keptin, I have an idea” Chekov said. “If we could come out of warp on the side of the planet, we could beam an away team over to the enemy’s ship without them seeing us”

“Good idea” Jim replied with a smile. Although Chekov was the youngest member of his crew at only seventeen, he had already proved his worth on several occasions.

“Captain Kirk, with your permission, I’d like to go alone” Kandori said.If what she suspected was true, the Inquisitor wasn’t going to kill Leonard and knowing where they were headed had only confirmed her suspicion.

“Why?” Jim asked, confused. While he had no doubt that Kandori was able to handle herself, it was standard procedure for Starfleet to always have more than one person on an away team.

“Like I said before, it would take too long to explain, so you’ll just have to trust me” She replied. Jim was silent for a long moment, debating with himself on the best course of action. Finally, he sighed.

“Alright” Jim said. “Let’s go everyone. The faster we get there, the better” and the faster they could get Bones back, but Jim didn’t say that. With that, everyone left the room to prepare for the rescue mission ahead of them.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another really long delay in updating this. Real life just happened and then I hit a massive writer's block, but I finally managed to finish this :)

As she re-materialized aboard the star destroyer, Kandori took a moment to get her bearings. While she agreed that the transporter was indeed a practical device, she had no desire to be beamed anywhere any time soon.

When the room had stopped spinning, she reached out with the Force, trying to find Leonard. It didn’t take her long and when she knew where he was, she ran down the corridor. Although Kandori didn’t have her lightsabers with her, she was able to deal with the stormtroopers she encountered with relative ease, using the Force.

Once more, Kandori reaches out with the Force, searching for the force signature that belongs to Leonard. It was hard for her with the presence of the dark side being so strong, but finally, she managed to locate him.

Something was wrong.

As she began moving through the ship, Kandori knew she had to hurry. If what she feared had happened, she didn’t have much time.

* * *

 

Jim was pacing the bridge. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him, but he didn’t care. He’d never been very good at staying still, and being asked to stay behind when Bones was in danger just did not feel right to him.

He knew, in the rational part of his mind, that Bones had been right to insist that the others leave him behind. Though Jim’s experience with the Inquisitor was limited to what he had seen that one time, he knew no one else would have been able to buy the rest of the away team the time they needed to get away.

It had been almost two months since Leonard had been taken, and Jim knew that he wouldn’t be able to search for him much longer.

The Enterprise was, after all, Starfleet’s flagship and if you asked the brass, there were more important things for her crew to do than search for one missing crewmember.

But Jim wasn’t about to give up.

He’d been abandoned one too many times in his life, first by his dad, then by sam and finally by Pike when Khan had killed him. There were others too, but Bones had been the first one who didn’t turn his back on him, no matter how much he had pushed.

At the academy, everyone had seemed to see him as nothing more than George Kirk’s son. They seemed to think that he was just riding on his father’s coattails, but Bones had been different.

Bones had been the first person to see him as just Jim. When he was with Bones, he didn’t need to pretend. Bones didn’t expect anything from him and when they were together, Jim could just be himself.

“Alright, Sulu, Jones and Anderson, you’re with me” Jim had stopped pacing as he looked at the three men in question.

“Captain, as I am sure you are aware, master Zelona said she’d deal with this herself” It was Spock who spoke up.

“I know Spock, I know. I just…” Jim trailed off, unsure how to explain it to his first officer. Although Spock had come a long way since joining the crew, there were still times where he didn’t quite grasp emotions.

“I just can’t leave him” Jim finally said.

“It is illogical to endanger the entire crew for the sake of one person” Spock countered calmly.

“I know” Jim replied. Spock sighed, seeming to realize that there was no chance he’d be able to convince the captain to stay aboard the ship.

“In that case, I should go with you as well” Spock knew that if he was on the away team, they’d have a better chance at getting out of this mess alive.

“No Spock, I need you up here.” Jim replied and then added: “If we don’t make it back, the crew will need someone in that chair who knows what he’s doing. If we don’t make it back, I need you to get everyone to safety”

Spock didn’t say, but he knew that there were approximately an 82.64% chance that the away team wouldn’t make it.

“Ensign, can you scan the ship for Doctor McCoy’s biosignature?” Jim asked, turning to one of the other crew members on the bridge.

“Yes captain” The woman replied, turning her attention to her station. After a moment, the ensign spoke up again. “Doctor McCoy appears to be in an observation lounge on one of the upper decks, captain”

“Nice work ensign” Jim said as he and the rest of the away team started towards the transporter room

* * *

 

Kandori sighed as she came to a stop in front of a large door. She had met more resistance as she made her way through the ship than she had at first anticipated and she was more tired than she’d like.

Clearly, she hadn’t healed as much as she had thought, despite the excellent medical care that the Enterprise crew had provided her with.

The Force signature of her former apprentice was stronger here than it had been anywhere else on the ship, so she knew she was in the right place. Still, nothing could have prepared for the sight that met her when she stepped through the door.

There were no one in the room except for herself and Leonard. Even though Kandori knew what she was going to see, even before Leonard turned around, it still hit her like a punch in the face.

His eyes were glowing with a sickeningly, yellow light, which Kandori knew to be the mark of the Dark side. The uniform he’d been wearing when he’d first rescued her, had also been shed in favor of a completely black outfit.

The only thing that had stayed the same, was the blue lightsaber in his hand. Although Kandori knew that making the crystal for a red lightsaber took time as it had to be created artificially, she found it odd that Leonard would have held onto his old lightsaber for so long.

She carefully reached out to him through the Force, but even so, she still felt like she was going to be sick. The darkness, both from Leonard and from the planet below was almost too much for her to handle, but she pressed on.

Despite the darkness that had at first seemed to consume her old apprentice she could also tell that there was a part of him that was still struggling, trying to fight back against the darkness. It was small, and was growing smaller and smaller by the minute, but it gave Kandori hope that she wouldn’t have to kill him.

“So, you’ve finally come. I was wondering how long it’d take you to find me” Leonard said.

“You were waiting for me?” Kandori asked, curious as to what the reason for this was.

“Yes. You took Jim from me, killed him in cold blood and now I can finally have my revenge” Kandori blinked at this. It must have been a part of the torture Leonard had had to endure at the hand of the Inquisitor.

Although she only had limited experience with it, she knew that a Force sensitive could influence the will of others, make them see things that weren’t real. The jedi thought of such actions as vile and morally wrong, but someone who had gone to the dark side would have no qualms about manipulating someone like this.

Just then, she spotted both her lightsabers hanging from Leonard’s belt, and with a flick of her hand, she summoned them using the Force.

“Very well then” She said, igniting both her lightsabers and taking a fighting stance. “If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get”

 


End file.
